When is the right time in life to have a baby?

When is the right time to have a baby? Well, that's a tough question! And frankly, I don't really think there's a right or wrong answer to this question! I think it all depends on the person.

Preganancies are planned and sometimes mistakes happen. That's life. Now, my little sister is 18 and has just given birth to her first child, a little girl. When I first found out she was pregnant my other sister told me. When she told me that I was going to be an Auntie again, I naturally assumed she was going to tell me it was she who was pregnant, not my other sister! I gave a big sigh and a tut and moaned about how silly she was to get pregnant at such a young age, considering she is just a kid herself! Still, what's done is done! The news sunk in and there I was galavanting round town buying baby clothes for her!!

Then you get stories on the news sometimes where women in their 60's are having babies. Not them personally, but you know what I mean! There was a story recently where a woman in her 60's has a baby boy I think it is. When it comes to an 18 yr old having a baby, that's one thing. But when it's on the other end of the stick, so to speak, that's a different story. Personally speaking, I really don't agree with this. I only think of the child. What's it going to be like when they start school? People are going to think it's Nanny taking them to school. And what about when they leave school? The woman will be in her 80's. I really don't think this is very fair at all on the child. I think in situations like this the woman should think about the future and their child's future.

I suppose the perfect time to have a baby would be around the age of 25, but that's just being stero-typical, isn't it?! But nowadays it's becoming more the norm to have children later in life. Women are having children in their mid to late 30's now rather than in their 20's. Women have got careers now to think of and don't want to start a family early. On the other hand, like my sister, if you have a child early on, then by the time she's 38 (my age now!), then the baby will be 20 yrs old. Still plenty of time for her to do what she wants while she's still more or less young!

You see, it can swing both ways. There's pro's and con's for having a baby young and later on in life. My middle sister was 25 when she had her daughter. I really don't think there is a 'right time' to have a baby. Like I said, it all depends on personal circumstances.

A woman can still have children and go to work. My mum was never out of work when she had us 3. It's your choice. Some women prefer to have children, see them fly the nest and then get a job. Others prefer to have a career first then settle down and have children (and maybe still carry on with their career!).

Whether you have a child at 16 or 60 there's always going to be people who disagree with having children at such an age. I've made my views clear on that one, but that doesn't make me right or wrong. That's just my thoughts.

What are your thoughts on this issue? All comments welcome!
Thanks for reading!
Louise